It's All Worth It

Today I had my first appointment with the diabetic counselor. These people really should work for the Hollywood Horror Film industry. According to them, not sticking to the diet, not testing my blood sugar at least 4 times a day, not going to all my appointments could cause a whole host of problems including severed nerves/broken bones during delivery from being too big, underdeveloped lungs or other organs, they could stop breathing after birth or be still born, etc. Mentally, I'm thinking, how come it took you guys 2 1/2 weeks to fit me in for an appointment then? I mean, if it's that important, wouldn't they have tried to either schedule me sooner or at least give me more of a diet guideline to follow until my appointment? After the scare tactics, we went over the diet plans, exchange lists, and how to work the glucose monitor. She has my complete attention (duh). After all is discussed and demonstrated (I finally passes a test, yea, my glucose was where it is supposed to be) out pops what I would call the "current human empathy standard", which translates to "I don't want to see you 'suffer' here's how to cheat on your diet". As she is telling me how I can still eat icecream or candy bars, I'm thinking, wait a minute lady, what about still birth and underdeveloped lungs and, and, and..... I mean WTF Really!!! Are there people out there that can't go without non-diet soda, ice cream, pizza, fruit juice, etc for a whole 9 months specially when you're talking about how it affects your unborn infant? And I only have a max of 8 weeks left! Do people act like this is some horrible punishment from God or something so much so that this lady feels like she must come up with ways so that you don't screw things up too bad by cheating 'cause she knows you're gonna cheat? I can't believe that the participation in a limited term diet is too much to ask for a better chance at having a healthy baby.
And while I'm on my soap box.......
I can't believe that some parents get upset that their 2, 3 or 4 year old won't "give up their pacifier". They won't give it up? Which one is the parent? You or the kid? And why aren't parents more upset about the electric pacifier than the silly rubber thing in the kid's mouth, you know, the TV? The TV causes 10 times more permenent damage than a silly rubber thing and eventually, even if you don't do anything about it, the play ground will take care of the binky, but not the TV. I don't know of anyone who said their "I do's" around a rubber pacifier in their mouth but I'm sure some have done it with the TV on. Talk about your transitional objects!
One last thing, I'm sick of people telling me that I don't know 'cause I'm not a parent. I totally understand that there is a high probability some of my beliefs/opinions will become egg on my face at some point, but there is such a thing as common sense. Some of our unhappy childhood memories are actually signs of having good parents. Mine never let me watch a ton of TV... even on rainy days. I used to get so mad at my mom for not letting me watch when there was "nothing to do". She'd click off the TV and say "go play". It was a command, it wasn't a question or something to argue over 'cause if you did, you got chores or something else equally awful to do instead. I didn't always get the latest toy or gadget that I wanted even though it was never a question of money. I was always hoping we'd go out to eat instead of mom's cooking again, and unless the house was on fire, bed time was at ____ o'clock! What a miserable childhood!!!
To have a happy, healthy, relaively normal kid, wouldn't you think it was better not to "cheat"? Short cuts are different than cheating. Short cuts are ways of trading off for the greater good, not for the greatest convenience, or worse, it's because it's what you want right now and your mom isn't around to tell you "no" anymore.
I think it would all be worth it.

Florida Perks

First of all, just to get it out of the way, I didn't pass my 3 hour Glucola test so I have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, now on to Florida stuff...

I've been going down to the beach in the evenings almost every weekend since the beginning of last month. I enjoy sitting quietly in the evening watching the stars pop up over the ocean with the setting sun behind me. The unceasing sound of the waves, the infinite grains of sand between your toes and fingers and then the universe unfolding before your eyes, I don't know why more people aren't out there with me just being. Last weekend I got a pretty cool surprise. As I waddled down the steps to the sand, I noticed several small sections of beach were sectioned off with wooden stakes and red caution tape. Then it hit me, BAM, sea turtle nests. Everywhere. Amazing. Now I'm walking really cautiously across the beach towards the waves hoping that all the nests have been marked and I'm not accidentally walking on little baby turtle eggs, silently cursing myself for thinking such silly thoughts yet not stopping them and I sit down. Two babies in the belly and thousands of babies under the sand, more mommy turtles full of eggs out in the waves waiting for the night, I'm totally surrounded, in, through and around me is God in the action of creation. I cried. I suddenly felt like I was on the most beautiful, most holy spot on the whole planet. I hope I never forget.

I was talking to a new friend of mine last Sunday at church. We were talking about different states in the US and some of the things that make those states unique and special. Someone walked up and heard me talking about the "Florida Mountain Range". To those who don't know, all along the Florida Turnpike every 20 miles or so is what is generally called a landfill. In Florida however, there isn't any real geographic place to "fill" so instead they end up with these 5 - 8 story high mountains of dirt covered garbage. The person who walked up told a great story about when her husband and two children drove up to Vermont when the children were young. Now, keep in mind, these are Florida children who have never left Florida. Mom and Dad had driven through the night while the children slept. When the children woke up in the morning and saw the Vermont country side for the first time the older child spoke up with his first observation, "Wow, they sure have a lot of garbage here!"

The way we see things hardly ever has anything to do with our eyes. If you don't believe me, ask any blind person.